Chapter Text
The casino was in full action, slot machines chiming, people groaning from their losses in cards, and the smell of wine and smoke filling the air. Chance adjusted his fedora, smirking confidently as he headed towards the tables to play some poker. Like he always did. A black figure in the background watched him quietly, analyzing his every move.
Mafioso had memorizered how Chance came into his casino every day. The employees here had been talking about how he seemed to have ungodly luck, suspecting him of cheating. So now he was tasked with finding the evidence of it, except he was being driven mad by not being able to find any evidence of it. They'd held a high stakes card game a couple of nights ago, slightly rigging it, but somehow Chance had still won. He took the prize and then proceeded to disappear before security could catch him.
It was maddening.
So for now, he continued to watch in the corner, trying to see if there was any quick movements, anything suspicious. But tonight there didn't seem to be any...Mafioso sighed harshly. He half-wondered if Chance knew he was being watched. On the outside, he seemed like some reckless gambler who has way too much time on his hands, but Mafioso suspected that there was something more under there. But he didn't know if he should make a move.
Chance was heading towards a table without anyone already there. Mafioso contemplated if he should go towards it as well. Maybe if he was next to him, staring him down, he'd finally spot whatever dirty trick he was using.
Mafioso also couldn't deny the fact that perhaps he was...curious about Chance. How someone who had the same personality as at least a dozen people in this room managed to pull of this sort of thing.
So he headed towards the table without thinking of the future consequences.
Chance had reached the table before Mafioso, already setting himself down and waiting for someone to challenge him. "Mind if I join you?" Mafioso said when he reached the table, nodding towards the chair on the opposite side of Chance. Chance grinned eagerly. "Why not? I've seen you a couple times here, but I haven't gotten to play cards with you yet. Something tells me this is going to be interesting."
Mafioso sat himself down, facing towards Chance. "What do you think of a one on one?" He asked, meeting Chance's eyes. They were filled with cocky confidence. Like he already knew the outcome of the game. Mafioso noted that down. Either he truly believed he would win the game, or it was a front. Or perhaps he could actually be cheating, and was sloppy about covering it up with his body language. But Mafioso couldn't assume anything just yet.
Chance leaned onto the table, propping up his elbow to support his face. "Ah, why not? Don't get mad when you lose, though," he said, with that cocky smirk still on his face. Mafioso nodded to the dealer, and the game begun.
Mafioso started by placing his bet. Small. Chance raised an eyebrow. "Stingy, hm?" He said tauntingly. Mafioso didn't react.
"Money isn't why I'm here," he replied cooly.
Chance just grinned. "Aw, come on, it's half the fun, isn't it?" He said teasingly. Mafioso knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to persuade him into betting more, so he would walk away with more. Mafioso had met several cheaters, and knew their tricks.
"I'm just here for a couple of good card games, that all," Mafioso said, unrelenting. He met Chance's eyes, keeping his expression appearing to be disinterested.
"Alright, alright. If you don't want to play this the fun way, I guess we can go ahead and start."
Chance placed his bet as well, and then starting flipping one of his poker chips like a coin. Mafioso took his cards, Chance following behind him. Mafioso scanned his hand, keeping his face as neutral as possible. He scanned Chance's face for any tells while looking at his cards. Chance seemed to be mildly interested in his cards, much more focused on Mafioso.
Hmmm... I'll give him credit, he knows how to play. Mafioso could already feel the tension starting to build. Slowly, but a breath of it still there. The noises from the rest of the casino seemed to be dulled, his focus being shifted onto the card game. Mafioso was scanning Chance's body constantly, looking for anything that might be off. Was he going to try and cheat?
A few hands went by, Chance and Mafioso neck and neck. Mafioso was gripping the edge of the table, on edge. He couldn't resist betting slightly more each time, the original 20 he bet turning into 50. The air was thick with tension, sweat forming on the back of his neck. He took his next hand. He prevented himself from showing too much, channeling the nervous energy into breathing slowly. His hand was decent. He could win or lose with it. The question was, did Chance have a good hand...?
Chance was still grinning at him cockily. He had kept that same poker face the whole time. It kept him on edge. Mafioso wondered if that was the whole point. He took in a breath, centering himself. If you're on edge, you'll be sloppy. Don't give him what he wants. He met eyes with Chance, filled with steely determination.
Mafioso upped his bet again. 100 dollars. Silently saying that this was the last hand. And then they started playing again. Mafioso played first, getting the worst cards he had out first. But Chance kept playing good card after good card, easily taking him over. Mafioso gritted his teeth in frustration. Of course he had to be unlucky as soon as he bet more money.
Chance ended up easily winning the game.
"Well that was a fun game," Chance said tauntingly as he took Mafioso's bet. Mafioso gripped against the table harder, frustrated. He had really good cards that last hand. And Mafioso couldn't find anything indicating he was cheating. But he wouldn't be a sore loser. "You have good luck." Mafioso remarked, his voice filled with frustration. But also filled with a bit of admiration.
Chance chuckled, leaning against the poker table, flipping one of the chips casually. "They don't call me Chance for nothing."
"Chance? Interesting name," Mafioso said, a bit of curiosity in his voice. "Were you named that when you were born, or did you earn it?"
"It started out as a nickname, but now it's the only thing people call me."
"Hm. I'm Mafioso, by the way."
Chance raised an eyebrow. "The same Mafioso that I'm thinking of?" Mafioso grinned. He had a bit of a reputation, one might say. He was also intrigued how Chance didn't seem to be scared at all. They started walking together towards the bar, chatting along the way.
Mafioso chuckled. "The one and only. Although you don't really seem to be very scared." He replied, slightly amused. Chance just grinned.
"Well, I never thought I would beat the most feared Mafia boss in poker. Although it did suspect that it might have been you when you came up to the table. I didn't know, however, that you had bunny ears."
Mafioso was interested in how Chance was acting so nonchalant around him. How he wasn't scared of getting killed or hurt. How he acted like this was a normal thing. That he was a normal person. Mafioso snorted in amusement. "I guess when people are usually shitting themselves in fear, they don't think much about the fact that I have bunny ears."
Chance laughed. "I think it makes you look cute," he said, grinning. "The oh so scary Mafia, with cute little bunny ears." Mafioso's ears twitched, slightly flustered. Chance just grinned even wider.
"Seriously? Flirting with a deadly Mafia boss? You must be insane." Mafioso said, slightly annoyed but also a little amused. He took a seat at the bar. Chance sat right next to him. "You don't seem to be doing much about it," Chance said teasingly. Mafioso sighed. "Be glad that I don't have a reason to hate you..."
Mafioso them heard his phone ringing. "Oh, that must be one of my goons," he said, picking it up. It was Contractee. "Hey, Contractee. What do you need?"
"hey, boss...so, I'm kind of in a sticky situation right now...some drunk guy walked in with a gun, and he's going a little haywire right now. I need some help," Contractee explained.
"Is no one else down there to help you?" Mafioso asked.
"The rest of the guys headed out to grab pizza..."
Mafioso sighed. "Alright, I'll be there in a second..."
Mafioso stood up, looking at Chance. "There's a troublemaker in the casino. I gotta go deal with them." Chance raised an eyebrow. "Why do you have to deal with it? I thought you were just a customer. Do you own the place or something?"
Mafioso nodded. "Yea, I keep the place up and running. i better go before things get out of hand."
Chance looked at the bar, and then back at Mafioso. A mischievous grin spread across his face. "I'm coming with you."